Utilities and agencies describe landowner outreach and ombudsman programs as residents call for more transparency

Several presenters at the Energy Development and Transmission Committee emphasized landowner outreach, damage settlements and reclamation practices — but public commenters told the committee those efforts are sometimes uneven in practice.

Tom Bodine (Deputy Commissioner, North Dakota Department of Agriculture) reviewed the department's landowner assistance programs: pipeline restoration and reclamation oversight (established 2015), a wind energy reclamation oversight program, and a royalty oversight effort to help people understand deductions and payment issues. Bodine said ombudsmen provide confidential third‑party assistance and education but cannot provide legal counsel in contested lease matters.

Industry presenters — including Danette (Janet) Wells and Tom Giltner (1 Oak), Brent Johnson (Grid United), Mike Murray (Basin Electric) and leaders from NextEra — described standard practices for landowner engagement: in‑person contacts and open houses, compensation formulas, damage settlement schedules, attorney‑fee reimbursement caps and post‑construction reclamation inspection programs. Basin Electric described a damage settlement schedule that pays 100%/75%/25% across three years for crop damages and said it uses third‑party market valuation data for offers and sometimes pays signing bonuses.

But multiple public commenters, including Michael Berg (Mercer/Oliver County farmer) and Joshua Ducart (Oliver County rancher), said they had learned recently that options or purchase agreements were being filed against nearby farmland, sometimes under subsidiary names, and said confidentiality provisions limit public awareness. Several asked for clearer notice and faster resolution of crop‑damage and reclamation claims.

Basin Electric and other companies described repeated route iteration and procedures intended to minimize disputes; Basin and NextEra said they will continue to improve early county and township outreach, clarify payment schedules and enhance follow‑up on reclamation inspections. Committee members asked staff to circulate materials on the Department of Agriculture's ombudsman functions and to consider inviting agencies back to answer landowner questions about damage claims and escrow processes.

Public commenters asked the committee to prioritize protections for resident landowners and to explore options for siting projects on previously disturbed or industrial lands where feasible.